Web Movie Streaming

Have you ever been frustrated at the prospect of attempting to hire out the latest blockbuster DVD, getting to drive to your closest outlet only to be told "they are all booked out". Now there is an option utilizing fast Media Streaming devices by way of the web direct to your Plasma television. In this article you can uncover which device may suit your needs!

This was my encounter recently when attempting to rent the Blu-ray Cowboys and Aliens. That got me thinking, what about purchasing 1 of the new Media Streamers and attaching it to my Plasma television?

Having a fairly fast internet speed of 11MBytes/sec would permit me to open up a whole new world of digital media, from streaming music files and internet radio to HD movies from the likes of Netflix and Blinkbox. But which device would suit my method, simply because my internet router is situated in my study upstairs.

I could buy a device like the much more expensive D-Hyperlink Boxee which includes a wireless connection or invest less money and go for the new Sony SMP-N200 which is more of a straightforward streamer at half the price.

Further Investigation

Since becoming released a few years ago the D-Hyperlink Boxee which was in a position to play a wide variety of video and music files has undergone a software program upgrade. It's cost is £200 and can play higher high quality audio formats (FLAC and WAV) as nicely as HD video (inc MKV files).Outputs include two USB sockets to allow it to connect to external devices and that could include an external Difficult drive. This would effectively create an affordable server. Also the Boxee will communicate with any NAS (Networked Storage Device) on your method which will permit you to browse your library of video,music and media data.

Interestingly, Boxee now has a dedicated BBC iPlayer app onboard which means it is easier to navigate around and as long as you have at least 2MB/sec web speed, browsing quality ought to not be a problem.

Nevertheless what struck my interest the most was the fact that the movie-streaming provider Blinkbox had now signed up to include a dedicated Film app too. YouTube was also catered for and a large plus for music fans the addition of Spotify.

What about a viable alternative? Well as I talked about earlier the Sony SMP-N200 can provide a simple Intelligent-Television upgrade.Coming in at just under £99 it can also play a variety of video and audio files, although it will not deal with MKV or AAC Files over the network.it will nevertheless play both these formats via its USB input.

This device consists of wifi and its software menus are easy to navigate around and comparable to those found on its Blu-ray players and TVs. A big plus for these of us with older TVs is the reality that the SMP-N200 also sports analogue audio and element video outputs.

If you do own a 3D Flat Screen Television, Sony can also show 3D Video each online and via USB. Whether you are streaming the BBC iPlayer in HD or using its Video Limitless film service, we have been told the sound and image quality is superb.